The invention relates to a device for providing water and food to animals to be mounted on an animal housing facility, which is provided with an essentially vertical feed delivery pipe, a vertical water pipe and at least one water valve fitted on the water pipe.
A large number of device for providing water and food to animals of the type described are used on breeding and fattening farms, for example in the breeding of pigs.
In one method of pig rearing, each pig is provided with a pen. The pen is dimensioned such that it accommodates one pig. A full-grown pig no longer has enough space to turn around in the pen. The pigs stand with their heads at the front ends of the pens. The front ends face an aisle running along the pens, which is used by personnel to service the facility and oversee the animals.
In accordance with a well-known watering method, the floor of the animal housing facility is provided with a trough along the entire length of the front ends of the adjacent pens. On the one hand, the feed is fed into this floor trough via the feed delivery pipes, this process being controlled by an automatic timer at large farms. On the other hand, the drinking water for the animals is also fed into the floor trough. This process is also controlled by an automatic timer at large farms. The disadvantage of this procedure is that water is not available to the animal at all times. The water consumption is also very high and, in warm climates, a watery, sour feed mash accumulates. The additional contamination of the floor trough with feces and the formation of mold fungi cause diseases in the animals. The operating costs are high.
For this reason, breeders switched to mounting a water pipe with a water valve on the animal housing facility, via which the animal can obtain clean drinking water at any time. A generic waterer is welded to a bar of a side grate. The side grate separates two adjacent pens from one another. One water valve is provided which must be used by both animals in the two adjacent pens. In order to eliminate the risk of injury due to an object projecting into the pen, the water valve is positioned parallel to the side grate. This makes it particularly difficult for both animals to reach.
A further disadvantage exists in the fact that, in many cases, one of the animals is more aggressive than its neighbor and makes use of the water valve more frequently, so that one animal can not cover its water requirement. It has also proven difficult for larger pigs to reach the waterer mounted on the side of the pen due to their restricted freedom of movement.
The known waterer is particularly problematic as regards to maintenance and repair work. Since the pigs stand in the pen during normal operation, the waterer is also very difficult for the personnel to reach. The regular maintenance of a large number of waterers of this kind entail an immense amount of work.
Furthermore, a disadvantage is also seen in the fact that a welded joint is envisaged for mounting the waterer, and that the position of the waterer is permanently fixed due to it being welded.
It is impossible in normal daily operation to refit an old farm, which still supplies drinking water via the floor trough, with a waterer which has to be welded between two adjacent pens.